Wednesday, August 06, 2014

It seems to me that the best way to gauge the effect legalization has had on the roadways is to look at what has happened on the roads since legalization took effect. Here’s a month-by-month comparison of highway fatalities in Colorado through the first seven months of this year and last year. For a more thorough comparison, I’ve also included the highest fatality figures for each month since 2002, the lowest for each month since 2002 and the average for each month since 2002.

As you can see, roadway fatalities this year are down from last year, and down from the 13-year average. Of the seven months so far this year, five months saw a lower fatality figure this year than last, two months saw a slightly higher figure this year, and in one month the two figures were equal.

As the author notes, there are obviously a variety of factors that play into traffic safety. But one thing is for sure: there wasn't suddenly a rash of drugged driving accidents.

Conservatives are wrong again. But then, that's a familiar story. Conservatives are almost always wrong about almost everything.